


Splinter

by crocodilepatronus



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-05-28 00:34:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15036785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crocodilepatronus/pseuds/crocodilepatronus
Summary: two instances of splinter removal set some years apart.





	Splinter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Are](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Are/gifts).



> this is a birthday gift for Are-Are! But it's also kind of for Cam. I usually update my Snape/Neville fic around Christmas which is around Cam's birthday but its a present for are-are and so now I'm writing a gift that's kind of for Cam at Are-are's birthday time to make it even? haha.

  1. October.



 

“Shite.”

 

Harry observed Draco from a safe few feet away on the bench. Draco had removed his Quidditch glove and was glaring at his left index finger as if it had wronged him in a grave, personal, way. He appeared to be muttering swears under his breath at the offending digit.

 

Harry at first hadn’t been able to grasp what the nature of the situation was. So now Draco talked to his own fingers. Well, imaginary finger puppet friends would likely be a step up from Crabbe and Goyle.

 

But then when he realized what the problem was, he made sure to be visibly holding back a laugh when he asked “Got a splinter there, Malfoy?”

 

Malfoy shot him a withering glare.

 

“Bloody broom’s fault,” he responded with a haughty sniff.

 

Harry slid over on the bench and took Malfoy’s hand.

 

“Right. Let’s see what all the fuss is about then.”

 

Malfoy made an undignified yelp.

 

“I’ve barely touched it yet, you silly git.” Harry said incredulously.

 

Draco opened his mouth to protest but after a moment seemed to settle as Harry squinted at his fingertip.

 

“….Well?” he finally asked, “How bad is it?”

 

“Bad.” Harry said seriously, “I think it’ll have to be amputated.”

 

Draco whipped his hand out of Harry’s grip with a ‘tsk’ as Harry grinned smugly at his blush stained cheeks.

 

“You think I’m silly,” Draco muttered under his breath.

 

“A bit.” Harry scoffed.

 

A beat of silence went by in which Harry gazed out at the Quidditch pitch seemingly nonplussed and Draco crossed his arms over his chest with a beet red face. Shoulder to shoulder touching but only barely. Possibly not worth it to make the fuss of moving- or waiting for the other to do so first.

 

“Give it here again.” Harry said after some minutes had passed. As if he only asked out of boredom. He grabbed Draco again by the wrist.

 

“Don’t touch me!” Draco snapped while making no effort to remove himself from Harry’s touch. “You’re not a healer! You don’t know what you’re doing!”

 

Harry looked at him with a comically disbelieving expression.

 

“Are you really thinking of going all the way to Madame Pomfrey for a splinter? Malfoy, it’s MINISCULE…”

 

“Sort of like your brain then?”

 

“Sort of the opposite of your ego.”

 

Malfoy bit the inside of his cheek, silently simmering as he tried to come up with something to volley back. Harry took the opportunity to pull his wand out.

 

Draco didn’t think he wanted to put his trust in any of the detail work of his health into the hands of someone who required giant spectacles just to keep from walking into walls and whose hair was always practically falling into his face.

 

But after all he did look so earnestly- pathetically- focused on his task that Draco thought it would be beyond cruel to forbid him from going about it at this point.

 

In fact with his simple minded focus on his task it gave Malfoy the opportunity to examine the enemy at close quarters.

 

His eyebrows were rather bushy, Draco noted. And dark. Draco supposed a lazy oaf like Potter probably didn’t groom them considering even the hair on top of his head was in a constant state of disarray. Slob.

 

Oh! And was that a black head? Near his hair line? No. Maybe just a tiny freckle of some sort. Speck of dirt?

 

His face wasn’t so bad, maybe. He’d thought this before. After all, Draco could admit that Potter had strengths. He was a decent Quidditch player. He wasn’t very good at a lot of magic but he was a cut above the rest at DADA. He didn’t put much maintenance into it and his fashion sense could be abysmal but Draco wouldn’t deny that he was handsome.

 

His glasses rather magnified his eyes. Not in any comical sort of way but just a little bit- so that when he looked at him he could see not just the bright green but even the little strings of gold in them. And his eyelashes always looked dark, long, almost as bushy as his eyebrows. And when he looked mad he could always see it in his eyes first. Like they were expressive even when he was just making some stoney blockhead expression. Yes, Draco supposed someone could call that beauti-

 

“Malfoy. It’s out. Have you gone into shock?”

 

Draco blinked.

 

“I haven’t gone into shock.” he answered lamely.

 

“You looked like you might have. You went all still when I started pulling it out and I thought you were going to faint.” Harry said doubtfully.

 

“As IF I would-“

 

“Here.” Harry cut off Malfoy’s hysterical outburst by placing a very tiny wooden fragment onto Malfoy’s palm.

 

“Oh.” Draco said. “Looks a bit… smaller… than it felt… Are you sure you got it all out?”

 

Harry huffed a laugh. “I’m positive.”

 

“Did I bleed terribly?”

 

“Not even a little bit.”

 

“Hm.”

 

Harry stood up. “Suppose you’ll want to sit out practice anyway to nurse your injuries, though.”

 

Draco had in fact been considering it. But the challenge in Harry’s voice made him jump to his feet. “In your dreams I would.”

 

October 2002

 

Draco had noticed Potter stub his toe or SOMETHING. Potter had said “ow” flatly and then kept on walking up the stairs with the box he was holding. The apartment they were moving into was nice. They both liked it and their tastes were differing enough that that in itself was some sort of kismet meaning it would be a good place.

 

Already moving in the décor was taking the shape of some sort of wonky physical manifestation of their personalities blended together. Draco had lots of THINGS. Lots of little ornate keepsakes and comfort items and objects he found beautiful. He liked to be surrounded by familiarity which in his case meant many lavish pieces of furniture, dark velvet throws and curtains, mirrors with gilded ebony and tortoiseshell frames. Most of these items were taken from the Malfoy family home but incorporated rather awkwardly into the small, affordable, fourth floor walk up and gave off the impression that they were running some type of eccentric antique shop.

 

Harry on the other hand had almost no worldly possessions. But on his insistence that they not run themselves into debt before they even had a chance to move in, many of the mundane items were bought from muggle stores and plastic water cups sat uncomfortably next to bone china teapots from the 1800s. A fuzzy pink maroon bathmat bought for pound sat on the floor of the same bathroom which had a silver and black framed mirror which was enchanted to help pick your outfits.

 

Most of the heavy boxes were Draco’s. They were each carrying a fair share up the stairs but Harry had insisted on doing it barefoot for some reason. It was a hot day after all. And the floors were cool cement and hardwood. But hardwood was wherein the problem lay. Draco didn’t notice until that night when they’d finished loading everything inside and collapsed onto the couch, Draco sitting on one end, Harry lying flat across with his feet in Draco’s lap.

 

“Potter.” Draco said, touching Harry’s ankle.

 

“Mm?” Harry’s eyes were closed, his hands folded across his chest.

 

“Were you aware that you have a tree trunk sticking out of the sole of your foot?”

 

“Do I? Fancy that.”

 

Draco made a noise of frustration and picked up Harry’s foot in his hand to examine it more closely.

 

“God. Don’t you even notice when something’s hurt you?”

 

Harry opened up one eye. “It’s just a splinter.”

 

Harry and Draco existed on opposite ends of a spectrum of pain management. Draco could be laid up in bed for days over a papercut while Harry could be stabbed in the gut and not notice.

 

“It’s really massive.” Draco said a little anxiously. “Don’t you think you should make more of a fuss?”

 

“You make enough fuss for the both of us.” Harry said easily.

 

Draco lightly smacked Harry’s knee.

 

“So you want it to get infected? Have your entire foot turn green and fall off?”

 

Harry went back to closing his eyes. “Well if you’re going to be such a mum about it then kiss it and make it better.”

 

As if there was an invisible string connected to the end of the splinter that led to the tip of Draco’s wand, he nudged it up with slight, precise, movements edging it out of the flesh of Harry’s foot.

 

“If I recall I helped you get a splinter out a while back.” Harry said after a few moments of silence.

 

Draco didn’t look up from his work but smiled slyly.“Was it because you loved me?”

 

Harry contemplated this and then said. “No. I think it’s because I knew you’d whine about it and be insufferable if I didn’t do something.”

 

“Well.” Draco said a little defensively. “That splinter from back then was HUGE. I’d thought I’d have to go to Pomfrey to have it taken out. It’s a miracle you were able to get it all on your own.”

 

“That’s not how I remember it.”

 

“There. Got it.” Malfoy held up the thick piece of wood that had broken off from the floor into Harry’s foot up to the light. “Merlin. You really didn’t feel it walking around all day?”

 

“I’ve been penetrated by bigger and badder things, Malfoy. You should know.” Harry said lightly.

 

Malfoy gingerly placed the splinter on Harry’s chest. “There. A keepsake.”

 

“I don’t want it.” Harry cringed. “It was IN my FOOT.”

 

“It represents our new home trying to get under your skin. You should treasure it.”

 

“Did YOU keep the splinter I took out of you?”

 

Draco’s cheeks reddened. “Only for a few days.” he mumbled.

 

Harry burst out laughing. Draco punched him in the shoulder.


End file.
